Heroine, Villain, Nun — Bravo Star Eileen Davidson’s Wild Arc on Days of Our Lives

Before Eileen Davidson’s three-season stint on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, she scaled mountains of melodrama as a daytime television star.

In 1993, Davidson began her high-impact run on Days of Our Lives, now in Season 60 on Peacock and airing its landmark 15,000th episode on December 2. She introduced the complex character of Kristen DiMera, a role that would become central to dramatic storylines — and still is. Kristen is currently played by Stacy Haiduk.

By the time Davidson wrapped an on-and-off run on Days, she’d earned two Daytime Emmy nominations, winning once, and played a handful of characters including Kristen’s loony lookalike, a nun, and a man. Talk about range. All in a Days’ work.

Davidson’s “tour-de-force” work on Days showcased “her skills and depth as a performer,” TV Guide and TV Insider soap columnist Stephanie Sloane told NBC Insider. “She brought five vastly different personalities to vibrant life on camera.”

Eileen Davidson as Kristen DiMera in Days of our Lives. Photo: Evans Vestal Ward/Peacock/NBC

Kristen wasn’t a conniving schemer in the beginning, but a relatively sympathetic woman. People change. Eventually Kristen’s manipulative behavior and her complicated love interests created considerable intrigue and conflict on the show.

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Kristen’s tumultuous relationships with other key characters, particularly John Black and Marlena Evans, brought out her true colors — and they were dark. Kristen evolved into a vengeful villainous. She’d toss out verbal grenades like “Happy new year, you lousy bitch!” as if she were blowing kisses.

Eileen Davidson’s four other roles on Days of Our Lives

Days of Our Lives highlighted Davidson’ varied talents and ability to multitask. In the late-’90s, the show’s ever-twisty storylines gave her a chance to act up in a juicy second role: Susan Banks, a kooky Kristen lookalike.

Days of our Lives key art. Photo: Peacock

Susan was known for prominent choppers, glasses, a squeaky voice, and an Elvis Presley obsession. Susan is a lot. Susan is also a quadruplet.

Davidson eventually went on to also play Susan’s three siblings: Sister Mary Moira, Thomas Banks and Penelope Kent. Curveball plots involved surgical makeovers, presumed deaths, and being sold into a harem.

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“With Kristen, Eileen masterfully transitioned from heroine to cunning villain,” said Sloane. “With Susan, she embraced the wackiness of the character through her mannerisms, voice, and wardrobe with gusto. As Sister Mary Moira, Eileen was uptight and controlled but still showed a comedic side. With Thomas, she completely transformed herself into a sleazy thug. As Penelope, she played a sophisticated British actress who had been raised apart from the other siblings.”

Davidson’s five roles earned her a Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in 1998.

Davidson left Days the same year to reprise her role on The Young and the Restless. She returned to Days in 2012. She won her first Daytime Emmy Award in 2014, the same year she left the show again, reported soapoperanetwork.com. 

2014 was the same year Davidson debuted in Season 5 of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills with a cast that included Lisa Rinna, who also appeared on Days of Our Lives.

In 2018, Haiduck was recast as Kristen on Days. But in 2021, Davidson reprised her role of Kristen (and Mary Moira) in the limited Peacock spinoff Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem.

“I love the characters that I helped create on Days,” Davidson told TVLine. "It’s really fun for me to come back and revisit them, you know? They’re like your children, and I didn’t want to say goodbye to them forever and ever.”

Days of Our Lives Season 60 is now streaming on Peacock. Check out the 15,000th episode streaming now.